Reborn A Shinobi
by Sagemodeman
Summary: SI, Non-canon, Reincarnated as Naruto the protagonist finds his own way in the Narutoverse.
1. Chapter 1

A SI as Naruto non-canon, NaruHina, Do it my way! 2-19-19

Kishimoto merely channeled the Narutoverse dimension... I am living it!  
A/N: I'll start with a stream of consciousness in this first chapter and maybe a bit beyond, then get into the reality, so don't worry.

Death...afterlife...not what I expected.

So all my life I was taught at death I would come before my God and be judged for my life. I believed in this earnestly. Faced with the other religions it seemed the more logical choice. The many religions of my world believed in heaven and hell of some type, a few in constant reincarnation, but all in something more that nothing after death if you were devout.

But none of that prepared me for what has happened to me... what's a guy to do?

My old world's idea of reincarnation was as penance or reward for how life had been lived. Yet the reincarnated soul would have no recollection in the new life of any old lives unless certain nirvana had been reached. Even then, that new life would be bound by the rules of life and existence within the bounds of eartly living.

I had lived what I'll call an average life, over 50 years spent growing up and learning who I was and where I fit in to the 'big picture'. I never was much part of that picture, more like a small pebble in some insignificant stream. Carried along by the occasional flood but never of consequence. Leaving the world only the pebbles around me would remember until they too passed on. Yet now I am something new, someone different, somewhere foreign.

I guess whatever mechanism causes this reincarnation takes time to make the transfer because most of my transitional memory is like a long dream. My death was unremarkable because my last 'real' memory was of going to bed. Then I fell into the typical dream like state I was use to. Dreams in what I understood were REM sleep, where the unconscious mind collated memory, senses, thoughts, and experiences into a nightly play more often forgotten the moment the conscious self took hold again. Except this 'dream' felt more real than ever before.

I dreamt of being reborn. Yet I was reborn as someone from my penchant for anime. I was born seeing a great and fearsome nine tailed fox with terrifying power eminating from it. You know those dreams where you feel you can't move, where fear has you frozen. It was like that. But then two voices rose in my mind to aid and comfort me. One a female whose loving voice held hopes and dreams for my life with advice that barely made sense for I was not some child except for in this dream. Then a man's voice, sincere yet troubled though hopeful. In the dream I could sense their love wash over me, enshrouding me even as the great fox was somehow absorbed into my body. The voices of the man and woman fell silent and suddenly I was alone, utterly alone. I cried out in fear... but I didn't awake from the dream.

My dream went on, my consciousness only registering moments. It was like when I was a child, my earliest memories did not seem connected, but rather strung together moments, pearls of a necklace, all part of the the same string but all of different shape and lustre. In the dream I could see a caretaker hold me, feed me, change me. Then I remember my first steps as a toddler, pulling myself up for the first time.

More moments of significance flashed by, without large connection of significance in the dream. Slowly the pearls of experiences began to connect, a pattern of memory, of recollection. I could replay the few pearls, but nothing in between them seemed to register. Strangely recollections of the old life mingled with the new so that I remembered more of my old life as a child. The struggles I faced as a toddler. The struggles to get my body to do the things I wanted it to. The struggle to learn to speak, to understand what others around me were saying. To register what my name was.

But in the dream my name wasn't my own... no it was a name of a fictional character I enjoyed. I thought it odd that in my dream I was him, he was me. That had never happened before in my dreams as much as I can recall. No in my dreams it was always me. Yet this was me too wasn't it? Even if my name was changed I was still the same person inside. Wasn't I?

Perhaps this was how it was done, a reprogramming of sorts. To refit the self into the new life? To be reincarnated as something new, something different, but still part of the old? Finally my dream seemed to be ending, like so often they do. Something significant happens, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, and finally you wake up either with a start or with a yawn...

For me it was a start... I bolted upright, looking about me. I was in a large room, familiar from my dream, yet also foreign to my old reality. I thought for a moment it was still the dream, but the pressure in my bladder was telling me it was all too real. I'd felt that pressure upon waking far too often. I looked about me trying to think where a bathroom could be in this room. In my old life it was just steps away from my bed through a doorway. Here in this large room with other beds... it was across the room and down the hall. I slipped my legs over the side of the bed... wait, why did they not reach the floor? Then I became directly aware my arms, my legs, my whole physique was different. It was smaller! I was dazed for a moment but the pressure in my bladder overcame my disorientation about my body. I stumbled to the floor nearly falling. The coolness of the old wooden boards well worn by many feet, slick to the feel of my small soles.

My bladder directed me to scurry, rocking back and forth as I made my way between the other beds towards the door. My small hand was barely a quarter of the size I expected as it reached for the doorhandle. I turned the handle with effort, the smooth metallic surface cool to my touch. Finally my small hand was able to rotate enough for the door to unlock and move outward. I pushed, and the door gave way with a creaking of old hinges. I heard stirrings behind me and turned quickly to see a few shapes move slightly on a few of the other beds. I slipped through the doorway, forcing the door was difficult for my small stature. Yet I did not register that fact for long as my bladder reminded me yet again that I should find relief quickly. I scurried down the hall and headed for the door my brain was telling me was the bathroom.

This door was just as tricky to manage as the last, but my will, or rather my bladder's insistence was more urgent and I passed through quickly. The bathroom was only remarkable in that it had multiple sinks and toilets all exposed together. I selected the closest and stood in front of it and undid my garment and proceeded to relieve myself. It seemed like forever I stood there, the only thought in my mind of finishing this most banal of personal issues.

Finally done I flushed the toilet, finally recognizing how small I was compared to it. I stood barely taller than the toilet! I shuddered, this was the most lifelike dream I'd ever had, for surely I must be asleep still. Yet the coolness of the tile floor was enough that such feeling seemed odd for a dream. I turned to the sinks and took three steps to make it to one. Odd that distance never seemed so far? I turned the faucet on and let the cool water cascade over my small fingers. I let it fall for a while marvelling at how this dream again seemed so real, the water felt like water, cool yet flowing across my fingers with force. I reached for a nearby towel and dried my fingers and turned around. On the opposite wall a mirror in the semi-darkness gleaned back at me. The shadows of what was early morning hours now registered in my brain. That time when all was quiet before the day started it's march to meet the sun coming over the horizon.

The mirror stared back at me as I looked at it. The poor lighting was still enough to reveal my vissage to me. My eyes shot wide both in my body and in my reflection. I froze with chills running down my body and goosebumps shot up my arms like I hadn't felt in many years. My vissage... not my own... not my own... yet yes this was me. My consciousness battled with my subconcious self, waging war. It is me, but it isn't. Though the goosebumps stayed I began deeply inspecting my face, bringing my fingers up and seeing them pull the mop of my blond hair up off my forehead. Then they traced the faint lines upon my cheeks, the sensation quite real to me, as though the lines were receptors of sensitivity. My eyes were bluer than ever. Not my blue-green of the ocean I was used to seeing, but the blue of a sky laden with hope and richness. I remember those skies, my favorite. The blue of the orb of the earth as seen from space. A memory of the Apollo mission popping into my head. Yet this vissage I was seeing in the mirror never had seen that had he?

I looked at my hands held up in front of my face, looking in the mirror again, seeing the size being proper for the head I was seeing. Yet these were the fingers of a child, not my fingers of so many years, average in length, but meaty from having a body too that was more on the heavyset size. I remembered my vissage as a kid, I had gapped teeth, they were gone, now replaced with normal average teeth. My nose was maybe average too. Not that my old nose was large, but it was definitely similar to the others in my family. This childs nose was slimmer with no roundness to the end. Something I noticed when I had been a child. Yet this new nose was my nose, as the saying goes... I'd know like the nose on my face!

The odd comparisons continued to swirl in my mind. Somehow in my musings of differences I had made my way automatically back to my bed. I climbed into the bed, something I hadn't done in more than 40 years. I turned over and pulled the blanket up and looked at the ceiling of the large room. The early light starting to push back the blackness with a grey slowly creaping from window to the opposite side of the room where the door stood still open from my forgetfullness to close it. My brain was tired of the gymnastics. How odd I thought, this dream is so odd in it's realism. I'll just roll over and wake up in a while and laugh for a few waking moments before this dream fades and is quickly forgotten. I let a smile creep across my lips... this was certainly weird. But it's just a dream really after all.


	2. Chapter 2 - Escape

Reborn a Shinobi chp2.  
2-20-19  
Kishi still owns the rights

The noise increased, bothering my ears. Rustlings, yawns, feet hitting the floor, many feet scurring too and fro. Why? Can't a guy get some sleep?

I bolted up in my bed and started to yell "Be quie...t" My yell fell off as I looked around the room. Many pairs of eyes looked at me. Wait... where was I... this... this isn't my room at my house?

"Shut up Naruto!" A pillow socked me in the head, thrown by a rather scrawny brown haired boy just across the aisle from me. Three more came piling after. Then the owners of the pillows came after them and socked me more times with the pillows. Not in a good natured pillow fighty kind of way, but in a -if this was an axe you'd be in pieces- kind of way. The glares of the boys didn't stop until they had retreated to their beds. I shuddered... this was no dream...

No one noticed or cared about my trauma. Instead there were more glares from several, and indifference from others who didn't want to be bothered. Bodies were moving all around, going about their morning business of getting prepared for the new day.

"Quiet down in there!" a loud voice boomed from the hallway. All eyes turned to the door as a frumpy and grumpy woman pushed it open. Her glare travelled across the room and when it settled on me I could see a narrowing of her eyes as if I was the cause of every sound. "Get dressed and get going!" Her loud voice boomed. The activity in the room doubled as if we were ants suddenly having our anthill disturbed. Compared to the woman we were mere ants. She stood double our average height and yet looked to be three of us wide with exposed arms looking more suited to a wrestler than a matron of an orphanage. She wore a simple frock tied at the waist with a cloth belt so she reminded me of a female version of a sumo wrestler at least in build. Her face was ruddy with long brown hair and eyes set just a bit too close together on a rounded face. She wore her hair tied halfway down her back in a simple weave and finished with pins to hold the weave in place. My newly acquired memory recalled those pins having one blunt end which were often used by the matron to be flung at errant boys. I had been on the receiving end of these on multiple occassions, flashes of phantom pain coursed through my arm, remembering one having pierced my hand at some point in the past.

The phantom pain focused my efforts to jump out of the bed, smoothing back the covers and taking off my night clothes. A small three drawer dresser sat next to the bed and from it I retrieved some blue pants and a white t-shirt with a swirl on the back. Under my bed were a pair of sandles I slipped on. All of us had these same clothes, the orphanage uniform. As if on auto pilot all my actions were familiar to my body, muscle memory and spatial memory, everything was my own, even though it was weird compared to who I remembered I had been. I was the last boy out of the room and followed the train of youth down the hall to a large room filled with tables and benches. There were around 25 other boys, I didn't see any girls. Probably like in my past life there was some reasoning to the separation. While not everyone stared at me as I entered, enough did so I was aware of being singled out. I managed to sit on the corner of one of the tables, the closest boys moving away an extra few inches they could until they were pushed back by those on the other side of them.

The tables were set with bowls of hard boiled eggs, plates of toast, cheese, butter, and jam. Pitchers of milk and juice too were being tilted by boys to fill their glasses. While not a large meal, it was enough I suppose to kickstart the metabolism. I recall a mediteranean meal I had while on an archeology dig in my 20's. We had a similar meal, though that one had a drink which I suppose should have been grape, but all the flavor was absent while only the color remained. At least the juice in my glass tasted sweet. This was a normal breakfast according to the new-to-me memories, only varying occasionally with oatmeal for colder months as an extra.

"Ok boys... get the plates cleared and get out of here" The flat voice of the matron rose over the din of boys making small talk with their friends. Our plates we carried to a soapy trough and cleaned them by hand and then dipped them in a rinsing trough and we stacked them together. Our knives, for no fork was necessary for this meal, were simply tossed into the soapy trough in sight of the eagle eye of the matron. My memory recalled years ago a boy would have been charged with cleaning the utensils, but due to knives going missing this practice was stopped. We then left back through the door and continued down the hall to a set of double doors that now stood open. These doors led to a large open play area, maybe a hundred feet square, filled with sand piles, stones for stacking, a few climbing obstacles, and other sundry objects for the adventurous boy's brain to turn into some imaginary wonder.

I remembered my own youth, play areas dotted with swings, spring rides, merry go rounds and such. But nothing nearly so similar was among the yard's contents except a teeter totter. If indeed I was an orphan in a ninja village it made sense didn't it? Activities and access to things which were not so likely to build which piqued interest in abilities which would strengthen creativity were far more likely. Still, I would think a swing would no be out of place, but perhaps because there were so many of us the idea of swings which would take up much of the room would be impractical? So I walked towards the most familiar, the teeter totter. There was a boy already sitting on one seat, legs bent so the opposing see was too high for me to sit on it. I went to reach for the seat the pull it down and the boy bent even lower so it was out of my reach. I walked towards the pivot point, the surest way to get the opportunity to pull my side down. Even as I reached again to pull it down the boy suddenly jumped from his seat while pushing down his side causing the teeter totter to slap to the ground and then bounce violently back upwards. He went running off and I was left alone.

I was mad... I simply wanted to play... couldn't he see that. I watched as he ran towards the opposite side of the field laughing, as if he had played some great joke on me. He'd simply been mean. I cooled down quickly, yes sure I was now a young boy... but I was an experienced soul. In my old life I'd long since learned anger and strong emotion led more often to unwanted conflict and misunderstanding. Whether it was in the face of a bully or unfairness from a brother or relative. That old life had been full of situations which I had learned from. I frowned inwardly at my anger and decided it had no place in me even with such unfairness. Anger rarely led to positive outcomes, because all parties involved likely wouldn't benefit in the end... unless I suppose they were a sadist. Mulling over these feelings I walked to the rock wall that surrounded the field and propped myself against it.

The morning air was slowly giving way to the suns heat, I could feel it on my arms, warming me. Soon the sun would bear down more and the air would loose the morning moistness. Outside the rock wall there were trees everywhere. They provided a rich oxygen atmosphere I breathed in, reveling in a cleaness I had forgotten in my old life. By the time I'd reached fifty that old world had become more and more congested with humanity's pollutions. Air quality had suffered enough that drawing a breath on a spring day was no where near as pleasant as this late October morning. It had lost this envigorating and refreshing quality. I studied the other orphans across the field. There were individuals and groups playing. My new memory could tick off those who I'd tried to befriend, but without success. It was most nearly all of them. The few who I had brief friendly encounters with soon would be turned against me through peer pressure. So now not only was I alone, but I was truly unwanted by any of these other orphans except as an object of a joke or outright derision.

I thought back to who I was supposed to be now. And how indeed Naruto had in the stories so often faced this ostracization. I now felt it first hand. Yet it wasn't that unfamiliar to me really. As a youngster I had moved with my family several states away to a totally new home. It was far different, not so much alien as unfriendly to outsiders. As the youngest of five I was in ways less managed than my older siblings, there was less effort placed on me by my parents to become something they wanted me to become. Less pushed to make friends, to have play dates, to fit some kind of form. I was left to my devices to find my path, not out of being unloved, but out of less worry I would make some fatal mistake. Perhaps that is the bane of a first child or first girl to a couple. As each successive child would come along the parents had knowledge enough to know most of their fears were unfounded. But those first children were watched over with the eyes of a hawk to ensure everything right, while the later children were left almost like the eggs of the Cukoo bird, left in the nest of some other bird not be worried and fussed over.

So my young life had often been that of someone who had to be self-dependent to understand what life demanded of me. To always have hope a time would come where I didn't have to always be that way, and those hopes to be constantly dashed against the rocks of experience. My siblings all handled transitions and friendships far better than I did. Though one brother would occasionally rise to the occassion to help me, he would later become the black sheep of the family, choosing to remain forever in the limbo of adolescent attitude. So I suppose as I look at this new life I have, this reincarnation, perhaps I am prepared for it better than a new soul. I know the harsh realities already, and should be able to navigate my way far better. So if indeed I am Naruto, I think I'll be my kind of Naruto.

My wandering thoughts coalesced in that moment of reflection. I scanned the field once again. Realizing I likely would never see nor remember any of these orphans again if I became a shinobi, but likely they would at least remember me as a vague recollection if I became a success. The matron had returned inside to the kitchen so I made up my mind to do something for myself. Reckless in nature, but also true to my nature. My memory brought up an occurence only weeks before. I had escaped the orphanage for several days. I had gone into the woods and fended for myself. I had fished and picked berries to survive, and I had used a knife secured years before from the kitchen! Indeed I was Naruto, and Naruto was me, because what orphan could do such things? No, indeed this was me, this was my new life and I had to own it now, I had to live it. So I would choose again to leave... choose a path that befitted Naruto.

I walked inside feigning pretense to use the bathroom when the matron looked at me from the dining room area. I instead snuck back to my dresser and pulled the second drawer all the way out. Stuck along the back edge of the frame was my knife. I pulled it out and set it on the bed. I pulled the pillow case off the pillow and opened it, laying the knife inside, I grabbed the few other clothes I had, another shirt, some socks, a pair of long pants and stuffed them inside too. I twisted and knotted the pillow case and threw it over my shoulder. I tucked the pillow back under the blanket and examined my bed and dresser. Nothing looked odd, it looked normal. I wouldn't likely be missed for at least a few hours.

I walked slowly to the door to the dining area, the matron was still counting out the clean knives. "I'm going back out" I said to her even as I hid my pillow case from her sight. She glanced up with that typical glare and merely grunted. Though the doors to the play field were still open no one was close to them. I slid out the door and threw my belongings into a bush nearby out of sight of the others. The bush itself was taller than the rock wall, which for five year olds didn't need to be awfully tall anyway. This is how I'd escaped before. I hid behind the bush and tossed over my belongings and then skillfully scaled the rock wall making the last effort to swing my legs over the top like a gymnast on a pommel horse.

Sliding down the other side much like a tree frog letting it's claws let one leg then another let go I landed with ease. The last time I'd done this I had headed out and away from the village, into the woods which surrounded much of the village. If I followed that same path likely I'd be found much quicker than last time. Though truth be told, I was glad for who found me then. It had been memorable to say the least. Though now I knew who it was that had found me. I had a connected memory now, it had been the Hokage. This time I would head to the Hokage himself. The area directly around the orphanage was scattered mostly dirt paths or crushed stone narrow roadways. We orphans had occassionally been taken on outings to a nearby park. I resolved to go past that park, into what I knew had to be the heart of the village.

At first I moved rapidly away from the orphanage, I'd say run, but really a five year old running with a sack doesn't really move all that fast for long. Rather I darted between the pathways and trees, trying to avoid anyone who might notice me. I did this for the first half mile, after that I was really feeling winded so I managed more like a fast walk. As I got further from the orphanage I grew bolder. I began walking the main paths and noticed they became wider and of better quality materials. The trees gave way to occassional gates and high growth hedges. Through the gates I could see what I would call large compounds of multiple buildings, really houses. I wondered if these were clan compounds for smaller clans because most looked to be only five or ten acres in size at least from what I could see. I imagined the grandier clans had compounds that spanned fifty acres or more. As I recall the Nara clan was said to tend an entire forest that went even beyond the borders of the village.

Soon enough I couldn't avoid walking the main paths as these compounds with their high hedge rows were impassable so I couldn't dart out of eyesight. Now my walk had slowed to more of a stroll, half from saving energy and half in wonder of the new sights I was seeing.

I looked up and the sun was now nearly overhead. It must have been close to two hours since I left the orphanage and I still felt like I'd only walked a short distance. But then I was merely five and my stride at best was probably a third of an adult's. Given that, I'd probably covered over five miles. How big exactly was this village?


	3. Chapter 3 - Fate

**Reborn a Shinobi**

Ch3  
2-22-19

**Fate **

**A/N** -_ I know the first few chapters will be a bit slow, a lot of self reflection, but remember this is the first introduction to a whole new life and world. Most of us would likely have some mental evaluation and wonder at the experience. Even if we found we had connective memories trying to sort out the change from old to new and comparing things would be very normal. Don't worry, the story will begin to move along. In fact one of the key moments is coming in this chapter... how will our Naruto face it? _

Finally... That's all I could think as the 'compounds' area had finally given way to something new. I thought they'd never end so I could find someplace to become inconspicuous. More than once I had seen people look at me from the compounds or be walking the opposite direction and felt like I was walking naked. Whether it was my looks, or my orphanage outfit, maybe. But I got strange looks as if I was unexpected in these people's sight. I tried to think whether I truly could be hated in some area far away from the orphanage. My new old memories didn't help much, I couldn't recall being chased down and beaten, like some stories I had read in that old life. Nor did I recall in any trips we'd taken outside the orphanage that I was singled out. Only by the matron herself and the looks from the other boys. But it wasn't as if villagers paraded by the orphanage regularly. Sure, we'd have occassional visits from prospective civilians looking for the oldest boys to become apprentices for a vocation or business. Rarely did we get a couple looking for a child, and then they only looked at the youngest boys. I had escaped notice of either as far as I could recall.

I had no idea therefore why the people along this road seemed so ill at ease? Maybe this path was far less travelled and anyone passing by was given a good looking over. But I was glad I could now find opportunities to duck off the pathway or around open gates. The large compounds have given way to more woods giving again the opportunity to duck out of sight if I felt the need. A small well worn path led off to the right and I decided to walk that way. A quarter mile and the path started to open up to a large park maybe three acres across with scatterings of rocks and trees. It was now after noon and a few familes were still sitting and having lunch with their children. I skirted the edge of the clearing to another path not wanting to be noticed by the families who were lounging.

I had made it maybe a hundred feet down when a large outcropping of rock hung over the pathway. As I ducked around it the path turned and I had my first ever sight of the Hokage mountain far in the distance. It rose well above the tree line and about two thirds the way up four large heads had been hewn into the face of the rock. In a way they reminded me of Mount Rushmore in the United States which had images of great presidents carved out of it. These instead I knew were the four great Hokage of Konoha. Hashirama Senju's face on the far left was strong looking off to the horizon, and his brother, Tobirama Senju's face was severe in countenance as if sitting in judgement. The third face was noticeable for the chin beard and eyes that seemed to stare across the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi, seeing the unseen. Finally on the far right was the vissage I knew personally must be my father, Minato Namikaze. His was the most youthful but also striking as it looked down into Konoha as if searching the souls of the village.

To get a better look I decided to climb on top of the overhanging rocks. It took a little bit of doing, but now I was sitting almost ten feet above the pathway and could lay back without being seen from below. I must have laid there for fifteen minutes just examining those faces and wondering if I had it in me to be worthy to have my face etched up there too. Sure I was Naruto, but doubts swirled in me whether my drive would be the same as my past life, that wouldn't be enough. Or maybe I had a chance now to be different? I feel more ambition perhaps already? Perhaps... after all I'd lived once and died once... so what was there to fear?

'Hah look it's one of those weirdos!' a boy's voice broke me from my thoughts. It was coming from down below on the path. 'Heya... you're all alone out here... what do ya think you own the forrest! I bet that's it, she's like all her family... stuck up! She thinks she owns everything! I bet she thinks she's better than us!'

'Nnno...no it's not not thattt...' a girls voice tried to respond... the voice was muffled and emotional. 'I was jusssst... walkinnnn on the patttthhh'... the voice turned to a wimper.

'Nnnnno? nooot thatttt? You are so pathetic!' The boy taunted and laughed joined in by two more different voices laughing. I rolled over and peered off the edge of the rock I was on. Down below I could see the boys pointing and laughing at someone I couldn't see because they stood under the outcropping of rock. 'Lets have some fun... Kaito... Murami... grab her!' A boy perhaps seven or eight years old with brown hair and a pudgy face was speaking. The two others looked to be maybe a bit younger, one with dirty blond hair and really skinny while the other had black hair and a similar slim build. 'What ya wanna do with her Aota?' One of the other boys smirked back at the first boy. 'Well... you know we could play bandits! Yeah! I heard stories from Dad how bandits take girls and do stuff too them'. The two other boys walked out of my sight to probably grab the girl.

'Nnnnoooooo mmffff!' I heard the girl try and yell and then apparently one of the boys had put his hand over her mouth.

All my thoughts from earlier vanished... these boys were going to do something awful! I had to stop them! I acted before thinking much beyond that desire to do something. I stood up on the rock and looked down at the first boy. From here I could see the other two holding a young girl, probably five with short cut blue hair except for bangs covering her face so I couldn't it from above. One boy had his hand over her mouth and another wrapped around her left arm. The other boy had hold of her right arm and was starting to twist it.

'Hey let her go!' I yelled at the boys. Aota's neck snapped up drawing his eyes to mine... but he was squinting because the sun was right behind me. I was standing ten feet above him and he brought his arm up to shield his eyes so he could see better. 'This is Konoha! Don't treat others like that in our village!' I stood there glaring at him, my hands on my hips.

'Whaa?' Aota was initially startled but then seeing me he smiled a devilish smile pointing up at me. 'Haa... look 'nother shorty! Whatcha gonna do? We ain't gonna let her go 'cause some snot nose don' like it. Who cares wha' 'cha think... we'll do what wee wanna do!"

Maybe if I'd had time to think about it I would have done something less reckless... but in the moment the only thought that came to mind was to jump on this guy... yep... right off the rock... ten feet above... He probably never thought anyone would do something so reckless. And if it had been any other kid he'd be right. So he was surprised when I came hurtling toward him. My arms out in front of me like some modified dive the ten foot drop accelerating the push off I'd already made with my feet. I'm sure the others were just as startled. My timing was good, he was like a deer in headlights... my aim... well it could use some practice... I didn't hit him head on... the best would have been to impact his chest... I managed a bit lower... My arms hit his thighs but I ended up head-butting him in the groin. My follow through wasn't bad though... my back arched over and I ended up rotating left in a half-pike with my butt taking the impact into some soft ground and facing away from the others. I quickly regained my footing turning back to look at the results of my spontaneous attack...

Aota was curled up in a fetal position gasping for breath... the other two boys had let go of the girl and were coming to his aid... 'Aota! Aota... ya all right?' They stooped over Aota and I took the opening to put myself between the girl and them.

'Your buddy got what he deserved!' I shouted at them. 'I told you, this is Konoha, we don't mistreat people... I don't know where you're from... but if I ever see you or him try something like that again...' I didnt' finish what I said... I just glared at them with an ominous air. If it had been an anime scene I'm sure they would have drawn a scary image of the Fox rising above me... who knows, maybe Naruto has a natural genjutsu like that? But the looks on the boys faces showed they wanted no part in any more conflict. They had grabbed Aota's arms, much like they had the girl's, and quickly ran away up the path. I watched them warily until I was sure they weren't going to come back. Then I turned around... the girl had dropped to her knees with her hands drawn up to her face and she was sobbing.

'They're gone now... you don't have to worry about them...' I reached out and gently touched her left shoulder. She stiffened quickly as if unaccustomed to physical touch and then relaxed when I guess she realized I meant no harm. Her sobs subsided and then she brought her head up to look at me while also lowering one of her hands and then the other.

'hic...thankk youuu' she said. Her rounded face was tear stained and her eyes were... unusual... The redness around her eyes from crying was aparent but it was the lack of color of her iris overall that drew me to them. Rather than having a distinct contrasting color, her iris appeared almost a shimmering white all the way across with a slight hint of some other color making it only slightly stand out from the outer white. For some reason I was drawn to those eyes for a moment, like some striking feature I needed to inspect closely.

Still a bit mystified by those eyes I held out my hand to help her up from the ground 'Hey... don't worry about it... they shouldn't have done that to you.' She grasped my hand with both of hers as she rose up looking at my face, finally we were standing face to face both about the same height.

'Thannkk you soo oo muchh' I could feel her still trembling through her hands. 'I don'ttt knowww... hic... what... I would... have...' She didn't finish her sentence. 'Thank... you' I could see it would take a while for her to regain her composure... I needed to do something to take her mind off what had just happened...

'Hey! Wanna see somethin neat!' I secured her hands with mine with an accompanying smile. 'Just follow me!' I led her to the other side of the outcropping of rock just a few steps away and pointed up at the hokage mountain in the distance. 'See... the hokage are watching us you know!' She looked up where I was pointing at, seeing the faces just as I had and I saw her eyes widen just a bit. 'We gotta show them we are strong ya know.' I smiled at her and her she seemed to regain some composure. 'There's a better view from up top though... wanna sit up there?' I asked, trying to take her mind further away from the incident. I let go of her hand and started climbing up, reaching the top I looked back and she was looking up from below, somewhat unsure. 'C'mon it's easy... just grab over there and put your foot there and you're already halfway up!' I coaxed her.

The girl followed my instructions and though she was initially unsure it really wasn't difficult for her to get up on the rock. 'See!' I pointed out again at the mountain. The higher view really was a better angle. She looked out again and I could see her eyes relax and her whole composure change. I let myself just drop down on my butt and bringing my knees up I propped my hands behind me. 'We can take it easy here without anyone bothering us ya know.' She looked down at the rock dubiously for a moment then sat down on her knees. 'My name's Naruto... Naruto Uzumak... what's yours?'

'I...I'm Hinata... Hyuga...'


	4. Chapter 4 Hyuga

**Reborn a Shinobi**

**Ch4 Hyuga**

**2-27-19**

**Kishimoto owns Naruto**

_A/N - For those who believe in Naruto/Hinata forever._

_She looked down at the rock dubiously for a moment then sat down on her knees. I introduced myself... 'My name's Naruto... Naruto Uzumak... what's yours?' _

_'I...I'm Hinata... Hyuga...' _

I nodded... so this was Hinata Hyuga. I remember in that old life she was someone important to Naruto, I couldn't remember why though at the moment since so much had happened already today. Realizing I was somewhere else and someone else, making the quick decision to leave the orphanage and trying to discover this place that was my new home and new life.

I sat there with her silently looking up at the mountain for a little bit. I don't know why, but I felt I could say anything to Hinata even though I just met her. 'So...would you laugh if I said I'm gonna be Hokage someday?'

I looked over at Hinata and she looked at me quizically. 'Why... why would I laugh?' she said 'My mother...' she paused a moment as if inwardly envisioning her mother '... my mother use to say we all have dreams and should hold on to them and make them come true.'

'Your mom sounds really nice...' I said, but I could see a tear in Hinata's eye... had I said something wrong?

'She was... she died giving birth to my sister...' Hinata wiped a few tears away from her eyes.

'I'm sorry Hinata... I didn't mean to make you sad.' I put my hand on her arm in comfort. She looked at me and smiled a sad smile.

'I miss her... alot... but... I know she wouldn't want me to be sad too much... I'm trying to be... strong.' She looked back out towards the monument. 'That's why I came here today... she use to walk with me down this path, I thought it would bring me some happy memories of her.' Hinata fell silent for a while.

What could I say to this confession of Hinata's? If I was simply a five year old boy I probably wouldn't know empathy from pity... but I'd had enough heartache and loss to know what Hinata was feeling. I scooted next to her and put my arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug and then just stayed next to her. Sometimes there are no words that can be said... but just being there for someone.

I don't know how long we both sat there shoulder to shoulder, time means nothing in those kinds of moments. But a male voice from below drew us out of our moment.

'Lady Hinata are you OK?' I looked down the path and about fifty feet away I saw a teen boy maybe 14 years old looking up and studying us, or me more in particular. Suddenly he sprung from the path and landed right in front of us in a single jump that I'd never seen before. It was amazingly effortless for him, a feat in my past life no real person could have managed except with the aid of special effects trickery. It was as if he had merely taken one foot from the path and let the other follow and he landed without a sound. I was momentarily so awed I didn't even have sense enough to back up or be afraid, though I expect my eyes went wide as saucers.

Hinata seemed unfazed by the utter display of agility. 'Hello Ko... I'm OK... Naruto helped me'.

'Helped you? Did something happen?' The teen's demeanor shifted ever so slightly as I watched his face. He had the same color hair and unusual eyes as Hinata, except they had suddenly shifted to an intensity that was matched by a definite change to the area around the eyes as if every muscle was tensed and focused. He was scrutinizing Hinata closely and noticing a bit of dirt on her clothes brushed it off quickly. 'Tell me what happened...' his eyes did not shift from Hinata but I felt like he was also looking at me intently.

Hinata told him, Ko Hyuga I guess, what had happened and how I had rescued her. Ko's intensity lessened as she finished telling him about us looking up at the mountain. He looked around at the Hokage mountain and then shifted his gaze back to me. 'Thank you Naruto for watching out for Lady Hinata, I should have stayed with her I now see, though she had asked for some time to herself. I will have to report this incident to Lord Hiashi.'

Hinata looked up at Ko, concern on her face I hadn't seen before. 'Do you have to tell father?' 'Yes, you could have been seriously hurt, my neglect of my duties must be reported.' 'But you'll get it trouble because of me, and Naruto saved me... no... uncle you mustn't tell father!' Hinata pleaded with him. 'Lady Hinata, I am not worthy to be called your uncle... I didn't protect you like I should have.' Hinato stood up and hugged Ko, he seemed a bit uncomfortable with the display. 'You'll always be my uncle Ko... you are my mother's brother.' She continued to hold on to him a bit longer. Ko held her at arms length. 'Hinata, you are so much like my sister. But don't worry... all things will work out fine. Perhaps we should introduce Naruto to Lord Hiashi, I think he will want to thank him in person. Let us go home.'

Ko grabbed hold of Hinata and jumped down effortlessly from the rock we'd been on. I climbed down and joined them on the path. 'Lets go...Naruto was it?' Ko looked at me.

'Yeah... um, but if you don't want me to go that's alright..' I said. I wasn't really`expecting Ko wanted me to go.

'Naruto... come with us...' Hinata held out her hand to me. As uncomfortable as I was feeling like I might be intruding, Hinata's insistence was clear, even for a five year old. So I took her hand and walked with her and Ko out of the woods.


	5. Chapter 5 Taken

**Reborn a Shinobi**

Ch 5 Taken

Shinobi

3-8-19 Expanded chapter to inclued meeting the Hokage

Kishimoto owns Naruto

_**'Naruto... come with us...' Hinata held out her hand to me. As uncomfortable as I was feeling like I might be intruding, Hinata's insistence was clear, even for a five year old. So I took her hand and walked with her and Ko out of the woods. **_

Ko lead us through various streets of Konoha so I got to see a whole lot more of the village than I would have dared on my own. Being with the two Hyuga I noticed the glances and defference given to Ko and Hinata. A few people looked at me with questioning faces. I don't know if it was because I was still holding Hinata's hand or if it was something else.

Soon we had turned down a much more well kept street than I had seen before. One side was a very intricate wall of stone about twelve feet high capped occassionally with figural statues of animals. The opposite side was a very ornate hedge also about twelve feet high made using beautiful camelias trimmed to perfection. About two hundred feet further along on the stone wall I could see a large iron gate which was open. We were within fifty feet of the gate when suddenly a figure appeared in front of us as if out of nowhere.

The figure wore a dark grey cloak with a hood drawn over their head. For a face all I could see was a white oval shaped mask with a few inked lines drawn into it sunken well inside the hood. 'Naruto Uzumaki, the Hokage wishes to see you immediately.' They spoke with a voice so monotone it was impossible to distinguish whether it was male or female. I froze in my tracks my hand slackening and falling away from Hinata's. What... what was going on? Did the matron at the orphanage report me missing? It was now well along in the afternoon, but really it wasn't like I should have been missed until much later.

'What's going on?' Ko demanded.

'Ko Hyuga, the Hokage's command is final and unquestionable. As a shinobi of Konoha you know this. Step aside.' The cloaked figure sidestepped Ko and took hold of my shoulder and suddenly we were no longer standing on the street. I could hear Hinata's voice for only a second as I was suddenly transported a quarter mile away to the roof of a building. My senses barely registered what happened, only the impression of great G forces pulling and pushing me along. We accelerated away again in another direction. We did this perhaps five times until we were atop a large building near the base of the Hokage mountain. I could see the faces of the Hokage now in much more detail. They were indeed very much like the Mout Rushmore faces in creativity of facial expressions. I was stunned by the sudden change in companions and scenery to the point that I didn't realize my captor had ushered me through a door until we were halfway down two flights of stairs.

'What's...' I tried to speak but my captor had grabbed my neck and applied pressure in such a way as I was unable to speak though I could move. I tried to wriggle out of the grasp but to no avail. 'Be quiet boy' my captor said and then suddenly a door opened in front of us as if triggered by an unseen force. Behind the door the room opened up to what looked like an executive suite in a very eastern style. To the left and right were couches and low tables and straight ahead was an oversized desk nearly ten feet across. Behind the desk sat an ederly man my memories confirmed was the man who had found me out in the woods weeks ago. And I knew in my own 'old' memories this was Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage of Konoha, Fire Shadow of the Land of Fire, God of Shinobi, Professor, and someone I was likely to bond with as a surrogate grandson. My eyes betrayed me, having gone wide with recognition.

'Hello my boy... come here... Naruto Uzumaki' The old man beckoned.

Well I was planning on finding him anyway, but to be found out instead was definitely a shock. Had he been watching me with that crystal ball? If that even existed which I was rather dubious about. More likely he would have an ANBU assigned to at least check on me. And that thought sent a shiver down my back... being watched for real. And had they been tailing me this whole day? Had they let the attack on Hinata occur just to see what I would do? There were so many thoughts going through my mind the nudge the ANBU behind me gave caused me to simply walk forward automatically. I didn't even realize what was happening until I was standing right in front of the Hokage who remained seated in his chair.

Being so close to him now I could see the lines of age and experience across his face firsthand. His facial expression was neutral, neither fierce nor humorous, but rather businesslike as if I had walked into an interview with an elder partner of a Law firm. It was a look of veiled scrutiny. The memories of a few weeks back over the campfire came to mind... 'Old man?' I said, because that was what I had called him then. His face broke out in a smile that I rememered then and he placed a firm but warm hand on my shoulder.

'Address him respectfully boy... you are in the presence of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi!' From behind me I heard the monotone voice of the ANBU who'd delivered me.

'That's quite all right Hyena... you are excused.' I heard a rustle of wind behind me as if a piece of paper had fluttered to the floor and I jerked around but saw no one.

'Where'd he go?' I said surprised. Indeed it was as if he'd never been in the room. I felt no presence other than the Hokage and myself.

The Hokage chuckled... 'Amazing isn't it my boy? We shinobi have skills that amaze civilians.' I turned back to face the old man.

'It seems you've been on an adventure again Naruto. That makes two times that I know of in less than a month... are you restless? Problems at the orphanage again?' The old man prodded me for information even as he kept the smile on his face and hand on my shoulder.

I cocked my head to the side in thought. Hiruzen's warm hand was only the second positive physical contact I'd had since awakening to my new life. It was clear he was concerned for me, his face while scrutinizing held no guile. How should I answer him? What would get me out of the orphanage... could I even demand anything from this man and expect my desires to be met? I decided an honest appraisal of my 'condition' at the orphanage might go far more than complaints so I began telling him at least how I was feeling.

'Old man, you ever lived in an orphanage? It's boring! We don't do hardly anything but eat, sleep and 'exercise' and maybe get to draw on paper. It's sooo boring! And for me it's worse 'cause no one is my friend! Remember I told you that weeks ago in the woods! I wanna do more, see more... get out and see more than the walls of the orphanage or look at the same old stuff around me! I want to explore!'

'Is that why you left today?' Hiruzen's face had turned more towards a kindly patient expression... empathetic if I had to say. 'And what if you could do more... would you stay at the orphanage if you could?'

'Nah... like I told ya, I got no friends there... they wouldn't miss me and the other boy's would probably hate me if I had that kind of freedom to come and go! The matron sure wouldnt' miss me...' I pleaded my case, hoping maybe this would be the chance that came to the fictional Naruto. I still wasn't sure if I was simply reliving his life or not... I certainly hoped I could make it my own.

'Indeed...' the old man's gaze lifted from my face as if in thought pondering something far away. 'Do you think given some guidance you could live on your own?' He stared back into my eyes again with scrutiny.

My heart leapt! 'You betcha... you found me in the woods takin' care of myself didn't cha!? I can do it... believe it!' My gidiness was rising but his hand pressed down in earnest on my shoulder.

'Listen now Naruto... this isn't going to be like the woods... you can't be running off where no one can find you. You'll have to be responsible, dependable... do you understand?' His eyes bore down on me... I gulped a bit, but then let a smile cross my face...

'Just give me a chance old man!' I beamed now rocking on my feet despite the commanding presence of his hand still on my shoulder.

'Very well then... we will discuss these details further... but first... tell me about what happened today... consider this your first of many reports about your activities shall we? If I'm going to give you this kind of freedom I have to receive regular reports from you about how you are doing... that's reasonable isn't it?' I thought about it again and then shrugged... 'I guess so old man... that'll be good if that's all I gotta do... as for today...' So I spent the next half hour telling him about my day all the way to saving and meeting Hinata and then being whisked away by the ANBU.


	6. Chapter 6 - New Beginnings

Reborn a Shinobi

Ch 6 New Beginnings

3-11-19

Kishimoto owns Naruto

Have you ever dealt with a shrewd negotiator? I have...

Let me just say, I don't care what some anime says about the 3rd Hokage being old and worn out... mentally that man is a giant.

While I might have lived to be over 50 in my past life, this man truly was sage in his demeanor even as he wrung the last bit of control over my life. I might have said I was bored with the orphanage... well there is no doubt in my mind I won't have to time to even consider being bored at least starting out living on my own.

Let me enlighten you as to what that old Bast... I mean old man wrangled me into...

I have a strict schedule of daily activities for the forseable future from sun up to sun down.

I have a meagre allowance beyond the basic 'necessities'... we use to call it a bubblegum allowance when I was a kid. Just enough to buy a couple of 1 cent bubble gum pieces every day.

I can ask for assistance for anything only twice a week for the first month and that diminishes over time so that by the end of the first year I can only request assistance once a month. This does not include any money directly but can include instruction or actual things I might find I need.

I am to be placed in a basic apartment designated by the Hokage and cannot change residence for any reason and must schedule in advance any 'trips' to the woods of Konoha.

I am to regularly visit the old man and give verbal and when able, written reports of my progress.

EXCUSE ME... maybe I should go back to the orphanage? NOPE... he totally nixxed that idea stating that now that I had left it twice the orphanage was totally off limits to me!

He even made contacting Hinata off limits! Something about clan issues he wouldn't tell me any more about.

OK... now I think I know why Naruto began to pull pranks... really... the damn old Bast...

Six Months later...

Have you ever felt thankful? I mean really truly thankful? I mean really really really thankful?

Remember how I was complaining about the old man's wrangling that whole agreement out of me?

Right here and now I'm sitting in my small apartment thankful for his agreement.

First, remember how he had me on a schedule? Well that's worked out pretty good because I know how to actually read and write after weeks of intensive training from an elderly kunoichi... thank you Mochi Miukasa! And now I have access to the general library of the village so I can feed my own personal curiousity about this new world I live in. In my past life I was kind of a bookworm when I was young... reading all kinds of stuff and enjoying history and all... well I now have a much more firm grasp of Konoha and the elemental nations and what the breadth of knowledge of this world encompasses. It's truly amazing how much chakra has advanced this world in ways that technology would have done in my old one.

They didn't develop an internal combustion engine until a couple of decades ago but certain lands have instituted 'trains' which run off chakra powered engines and likewise ships to sail the seas. Even that internal combustion engine doesn't burn gas, it uses chakra! But most civilians don't travel between elemental nations because there really isn't a reason to unless they are a trade merchant. Trade is so well developed there is no need for the average individual to travel far. And in general travel is highly regulated because of the general unease between elemental countries themselves. BTW shinobi don't need transportation because their chakra in general is sufficient to allow them to travel at continuous speeds much faster than most cars.

This whole new world has caused me to re-evaluate my understanding of physics and technology. From movement to medicine it's on a whole new level of understanding all due to chakra.

Another reason I'm thankful? I can actually explore the village somewhat... I've had a chance to wander generally around the village to get a sense of it's scale and layout. Most people probably think Konoha is like some small hometown... but a small town has maybe a few thousand residents. Konoha is more like a city that feels like a small town. This is because it's not just a bunch of buildings, it's got lots of forests, streams, even a river, training grounds that are half a mile in size and generally this village so much larger than I imagined. When I left the orphanage I didn't realize it but I was within the inner third of the village. If I had to guess the population is probably over forty or fifty thousand if the whole area was considered. But figure there are lots of shinobi forces not even in the village at any one time and the population figure probably swells even more. And of course within and outside of the Great Konoha barrier, which is what most people call the forest of the first Hokage, these shinobi forces patrol and maintain the peace. Of course most shinobi are Genin or Chunin with about ten percent being Jonin and another ten percent perhaps Special Jonin. All of this I figured from reading some of the books. Of course those figures are generalizations, only those who run the hidden villages know the real numbers.

And finally the biggest reason I'm thankful... it goes back to something that started a few months ago. It started slowly but now has snowballed. Remember how most people didn't seem to treat me much different that first day than any other average citizen? Well that started changing... and not in a good way. Just over two months ago the expressions on peoples faces started changing, and how they would act towards me changed too. First it was just a few people who would stare at me weirdly and then some started just turning around anytime I walked near. In my own neighborhood doors would shut and children would be quickly taken inside if I came near. By the end of the first month even the local civilian shopkeepers would bar my way in to their stores. I had no idea what was going on until I finally realized someone was spreading the rumor I was a demon. Now you'd think even a civilian in a hidden village would know better than the average person not to believe rumors, but human nature even in this world is fickle. I'd been able to sneak up on a couple of conversations and it would go something like this 'Hey watch out for that blond haired kid! He's a demon that caused the ninetails to attack the village.' 'No way' 'Yeah, I overheard some ANBU talking, they are patrolling to make sure he doesn't release the nine-tails again.'

Of course my own knowledge is quite a bit better than theirs... I know I am the Jinchuriki of the Ninetails... or at least I assume I am as I haven't been able to mould chakra yet to check and see if I have the seal mark. But it's strange because up until two months ago it seems like this rumor didn't exist except in some crude way at the orphanage. Did that matron start the rumor and if so why? Or is it someone else. I can't imagine any ANBU discussing anything in the open especially a blatant lie about me. Then finally it came to my mind... ROOT. Their operatives wore clothing like ANBU and could easily be mistaken for them... so it was Danzo... the bastard! I couldn't believe it... why? Except I knew the answer... he wanted me damaged mentally so he could have cause to demand I be handed over to him for training.

But there was a silver lining to this crappy turn of events. The Hokage gave me a list of businesses I could go to that would sell me anything I needed in the way of clothing and food. He assured me these shopkeepers would not turn their backs on me. And one of those was Ichiraku's ramen shop! I loved ramen in my old world... can I just say you've only ever had good ramen until you've gone to Ichiraku?!

So one last thing I'm thankful for... I start the Academy next week!


End file.
